I must have shown some talent as a boy, because a teacher once took an oil painting of mine to put in a show and afterwards, kept it. My mother took up painting when we lived in Hong Kong; she painted in watercolors on silk. It was a Euro/Asian crossover style. I enjoy seeing my brushstrokes look like the brushstrokes of Winslow Homer or Edward Hopper. I like the urban realism of John Register. At some point during a painting, I'll think, "I'm afraid to do anything more to this; I'll spoil it." One thing I have discovered is that if you paint something, people will give it a longer look than a mere photograph. People ask themselves, "Why did someone take the time to paint this? There must be some beauty beyond the obvious." So the viewer looks for significance in the painting. Any time people step back and appreciate their own vision, it is a good thing.